July 1932. Height of the Great Depression. Evie is trying to escape her past, but it seems to always be catching up with her. As a result, she falls in with a character named Zane and a crew on the dance marathon circuit, which is exactly where she didn't want to be. But this time, she decides to stay. 

I completely binged this book; read it in a day. Probably less than a day. Evie's character really touched my heart, and I loved watching her grow in her confidence, abilities, and love for others. Zane's character was misunderstood, and yet he was always willing to lend a helping hand. Both Evie and Zane wanted to be loved and accepted for who they were without reservations. The dance marathon/vaudeville-esque setting was also fun and unique. I don't think I've ever read a book with that setting before. It sounds like a rough life. Especially during the Depression.

One of the reasons I think I enjoyed this book so much is because I too am a dancer. Pre-pandemic I spent countless hours perfecting vintage swing dances like Lindy Hop and Balboa. There were some obvious {to me} dance references that were really fun - including jokes on “the pretzel” (iykyk - just don't). Evie's character grows so much, and her experiences are still applicable today. I greatly enjoyed this fun, quick read and think that others who enjoy historical fiction will, too.

CW: language, abuse, rape, lobotomy, suicide

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier
by: Sarah Bird
Pub. date: April 12, 2022
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2021

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley, for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion…

I enjoyed reading Last Dance on the Starlight Pier. It was, however, a bit confusing as there were so Many little stories in this one book.. Ms. Bird may have done more by telling less. I’m positive there will be those readers who absolutely Love this book. I personally didn’t. It was still an interesting take on the Depression Era & those ever-famous dance marathons of the times. We were given a mix of history & fiction, which I do love, I just feel the author should have held back on many of the unimportant details we were given.
I’m giving three & a half stars because I love learning new things about the way life generally was lived during The Great Depression as So Many of my family members experienced it & the author really did shed new light on many things I’ve never really considered until now. I would recommend this book for sure. With the suggestion to maybe not go into it expecting anything in particular & to just enjoy the ride. Well… the read. Haha
#LastDanceOnTheStarlightPier #NetGalley

Interesting portrayal of the depression era and marathon dancing. I thought the storyline was too excessive and unimaginable, but it did keep your interest at the same time. I'm sure others will love it.

Sarah Bird's Last Dance on the Starlight Pier holds promise of her future writing. The story centers on a young woman who wants to be a nurse but ends up on the marathon dancing floor with a gay partner. After the mid-point, the story is about their relationship. However, the ending veers off the main female character and focuses on the gay male character, leaving the female to a less than satisfactory ending, but neither character is well-developed at the end.
There are many stories inside this one: the nursing story, the father/mother of the female story, the grandmother story, and the male dancing partner story to name several. Bird could use just one of them to develop her characters fully with better, less-rushed conclusions.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story as I knew nothing about the dance marathons during the Great Depression.

I struggled to get through this one. I found the characters a bit flat and the relationships unrealistic. The story line didn’t draw me in, and I feel like there are some unanswered questions at the end. And I couldn’t get into Zave’s story line. I felt like this was more of a novel about “acceptance” and not really about the dance marathons. It just wasn’t for me.

If you like history and dancing, then this novel is for you. This novel takes you inside dance marathons and what people did to survive during the Great Depression. Evie Devlin, seeking to escape a troubled past, goes to nursing school to realize her life’s dream of becoming a nurse. Faced with hardship, she joins a dance marathon as a way to practice her craft, only to have faith pair her with Zave, the toast of the dance marathon and former trainee under Evie’s father. Are the two destined family, friends or lovers?

This novel presents a unique backdrop and an interesting perspective of this difficult time in history. The author does a great job of developing the characters and setting the stage so to speak with her vivid description of the dancers, crowds and conditions encountered during the dance marathons. Evie captures the readers’ hearts and keeps the story engaging until the end. The author cleverly incorporates various social issues that plagued the country during this time and demonstrates the resilience and determination faced by so many just to keep hope alive at a trying time.

While I enjoyed the dance marathon part of the story and learning about the lives and history of the characters, I did not particularly care for the detour the novel took as far as a medical procedure and “cure” to help Zane. The context just felt off and took away from the overall story about dance marathons and what people did to survive during the Great Depression.
Overall, this novel is well researched and had a lot of potential even if it did not quite deliver at times. The author did a good job at resolving the story and leaving the reader satisfied in the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a historical fiction novel based in the depression era. I have been gravitating towards books that are written in this era lately and was excited to receive an e-ARC copy of this book. The book is written from the main character, Evie Grace's perspective and the journey she goes on over a period of time. However, I found her journey to be lackluster at times, despite there being so many things jammed into the novel, such as the mobster scene, the depression and the dance marathons, sexuality, and psychological procedures of that time. It was hard for me to connect with any of the characters and get a sense of who they really were. I give this book a rating of 3 stars because the idea is interesting, especially about the dance marathons as entertainment in the depression era and I could finish the book, as the writing itself was not bad.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC edition for an honest review.

I really loved Last Dance on the Starlight Pier, its an excellent Depression era historical fiction about dance marathons. Its an excellent read that is really enthralling and wonderful to read!

I was not to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot did were not able to catch or keep my attention.

I did not like this book. I tried to read it many times but the writing and storyline were too muddled and difficult to appreciate.

This absolutely did not do this for me. There are so many things that I just didn't like about this book. I really wanted to like it, however, there are things about this book that I find just too distasteful and I did not think that it added to the story in any way.

This is supposed to be the story of the end of Vaudeville, prohibition, dance marathons and the end of the roaring 20's. Maybe because the story is at the end of the 20's that the characters just seem so desperate.

I'm sorry that I did not like your book Ms Bird, but I LOVED Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release April 12, 2022.

In Last Dance on the Starlite Pier, Sarah Bird sets a story of growth and self discovery in the turbulent early years of the Great Depression. Evie Grace Devlin has grown up under her mother's neglectful, abusive threats, and since her father's death, she has endured more harm than he ever would have allowed. Finally able to take care of herself, she wins a scholarship to nursing school and takes off for Galveston to make a life for herself. When stories of her past surface, however, she is kicked out of school on her graduation day, without the precious RN pin that would allow her to find work as a nurse. Heartbroken and alone, she finds work as a nurse in a marathon dance troupe who bring hope and distraction to crowds crushed under the Depression economy. She expects to work to survive. She doesn't expect to fall for one of the dancers, Zave, or learn that he became a dancer with her father's help. When the marathon organizer decides to stage a fake marriage between Evie and Zave, Evie hopes that life will improve, but she learns that Zave has a past of pain and hardship that will require her to change, grow, and decide what matters most.

As a history teacher, I love the era of the Depression and the resilience of the people who lived through it. Bird shows the grim hopelessness and desperation of the era while also showcasing the creativity, camaraderie, and courage that allowed people to survive and help others. Bird's characters are realistic, genuine, and complex. They have real emotions, conflicts, and pains, and Bird brings them to life through their dialogue and backstories. The plot is well-paced, moving between current action and flashbacks smoothly to give deep, thorough pictures of each character. While the Depression is shown clearly, Bird invests an unusual amount of energy and time into the election between Hoover and FDR. Hoover is vilified, and FDR is seen as the only answer throughout her story. The political emphasis detracts from the story at times, seeming to draw energy and focus away from the characters we know and love to focus on news flashes, elections, and campaigning. While the politics were significant in the era, the focus on them seems like a distraction, rather than a supporting element of the story.

Additionally, Zave's sexual orientation plays a major role in the story. Bird details what he must have felt from a society, time period, and culture that would not accept him, and she does so in a way that creates empathy and concern for him. When the topic of a "procedure" that could fix him arises, Bird covers it quickly, vaguely, and in passing. As a result, the procedure, a lobotomy, is presented as a positive option for several chapters, It is true that Evie hasn't yet studied the procedure and only vaguely knows what it is, but the entire topic could be triggering for many. When the reality of a lobotomy is revealed, it is done quickly, vaguely, glancingly, and many readers may be left confused or wishing for more information, especially when Evie is asked to lecture on the topic at her own old nursing school.

Overall, Last Dance on the Starlite Pier is a fascinating, touching story of two new adults' .efforts to build their own lives, rather than continuing the difficult lives they were given. While readers may wish for fewer politics and more information on the "procedure" Evie finds for Zave, the story itself is well-told and memorable.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird takes the reader back to the days of prohibition, the depression, and the mob. Evie spent her first few years of life on the vaudeville circuit where her dad was a dancer. After his death, she survived with a mother whom Evie supported. After graduating from high school, she receives a scholarship at a Catholic nursing school in Galveston where she meets her first true friend, Sofie, who is part of the mob family that runs Galveston.

When Evie is denied her RN pin, she finds a dance marathon group and attaches to them. They become her family and Zave, a dancer her father taught. The reader is taken on an adventure from Chicago, to west Texas, to Galveston with this group of misfit dancers. Evie goes from misfit to heroine. There's alcohol, homosexuality, and dysfunctional family function in the book. If you can get past that, the story is one of triumph.

I enjoyed this book because i have never read about marathon dancing during the depression. It reminded me of Big Time Wrestling in the way the shows were staged. I commend the author for finding a topic that is sure to be enthralling to many. I could definitely picture the settings and the marathon “drama” itself. It was very interesting although I got a little bored with it as it just droned on through the middle. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! After Evie Grace leaves Galveston for the first time, the story really starts to pick up. The dance marathons during the Great Depression were fascinating to learn about. The plotline with Zave struggling to hide his homosexuality was heartbreaking, though I'm very satisfied with how the ending played out. Definitely recommend this to anyone who's a historical fiction lover.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
This is an interesting story set during the Great Depression. Evie Grace has had a hard childhood, raised on the vaudeville circuit by her mother and several "uncles." She tries to better herself by becoming a nurse, but that plan falls through. This is the story of her struggles and how she improved her life in such trying times. I liked the unique marathon dancing setting, and I felt like I learned a lot about it. It must have been really hard to dance for so long.. I liked the writing and the characters-it kept me hooked right from the beginning. I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to Evie Grace.

I had just finished reviewing “All the Lights Above Us,” so wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for another historical read when I was asked to review “Last Dance on the Starlight Pier” which focuses on the Great Depression and the desperate steps (pun intended) people would take to survive.

During the Great Depression, contestants would dance for hours, sometimes days, to compete for cash. Such events became a way to escape the devastating effects of financial hardship and loss. Evie, a nursing student, is trying to do her own escaping when her past shatters her future; instead of receiving her nursing pin, she has to flee Galveston. She joins a dance marathon as a nurse (though she has previous dance experience from her childhood) and follows the troupe from Houston to Chicago and eventually back to Texas. During her travels, she struggles to confront her past once and for all while looking, once again, to her future.

I have read many novels about the Great Depression, but never one with this unusual premise. The author has clearly researched the subject matter in a way that I felt instantly drawn into events as they happened. Evie was also a likable character with plenty of heart. The author touches upon political events (such as FDR becoming president) without dwelling on them. I did not care so much for the romantic aspect of the novel and at times, I felt overwhelmed with characters who would pop in and disappear. Overall, I thought this was a promising story that, while it did not quite deliver, still managed to make the reader feel satisfied when reaching the novel’s resolution.

Three and a half stars.

Thank you the Sarah Bird, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

This was a different book than what I was expecting. The time period was presented very well but the characters left me flat. Little snippets of their life were presented but not always tied together very well. Characters came in and out of Evie’s life without a lot of backstory. This leaves the reader not fully understanding her actions such as the part of the story with her grandma. The descriptions of the dance marathons were very interesting in understanding the time period of the 20’s and 30’s reminiscent of the old movie”They Shoot Horses Don’t They.”
Evie’s and Zave’s love story was a little one sided. The novel was well researched but needed more character development. This is a sad but true representation of a form of entertainment not often written about. #LastDanceOnTheStarlightPier #NetGalley

The Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird is a historical novel set during the Great Depression of the early 1930's. From the dust storms in the plains to dance marathons in Chicago and back to Galveston, the story follows Evie Grace Devlin, who studied to be a nurse, on her journey for survival in such hard times. This is the first historical novel I have read about the dance marathons and found it a pleasant change from the usual Depression era books. This book held my interest from the first page. Thanks to author Sarah Bird, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book isn't what I expected after reading the short blurb. After reading it, I feel like I'm missing the point, something doesn't seem finished. Maybe if the author's note had been included, it would pull it all together.

It's set around Evie, a former child vaudeville performer, turned nurse, who becomes a marathon dancer in the mid 1920's. But there is a lot more than just dancing, there is The Great Depression, mobsters in Chicago, skeevy dance producers, politics, and a lot more. Interesting, but strange story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.